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Nearly every vape that New Yorkers are using\u2014then throwing out\u2014are illegally imported flavored vapes from China, according to a study<\/a> commissioned by Altria<\/a>, the second largest tobacco company in the U.S.<\/p>\n WSPM, the market intelligence company Altria contracted to complete the study, analyzed empty vape products discarded in 100 different locations across New York City\u2019s boroughs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Between Feb. 1 and March 21 of this year, collectors found 2,000 discarded vape packages. Of these vapes, 99% were imported from China, and 99% were flavored disposables, which New York banned<\/a> in 2020 for its appeal to children and young adults.\u00a0<\/p>\n The study underscores the extent to which Chinese vape companies have flouted regulations and dominated the nation\u2019s $7 billion vaping market, David Sutton, a spokesperson for Altria, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vape brands \u201ccited as most popular with kids\u201d have flooded New York, Sutton wrote in a statement. \u201cWe strongly support greater enforcement efforts in New York to get these illicit products out of the market.\u201d<\/p>\n While a spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said they \u201ctake this issue seriously,\u201d they also pointed to state Department of Health data<\/a> that showed a decline of New York high-schoolers vaping from 2018 to 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, last weekend, New York City\u2019s Sheriff Office and NYPD \u201ctackled a major distributor\u201d with millions of dollars worth of illegal vape products, a spokeperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams\u2019 said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are facing an epidemic of e-cigarette and vape use among young people, and we will not stand by while manufacturers and wholesalers supply our city with illegal, harmful products that target our most vulnerable New Yorkers \u2014 children,\u201d the spokesperson wrote in an email to Fortune.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of only 23 tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products and devices; Altria\u2019s NJOY vapes have made this coveted group. However, these FDA-authorized products are deeply unpopular<\/a>, making up just 2.4% of 2023\u2019s vape sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n Altria appears to be feeling the hit. Last year, the corporation sued <\/a>34 foreign and domestic vape manufacturers to retain damages for \u201cunfair competition,\u201d calling on the FDA to enforce their own rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n An FDA spokesperson would not answer specific questions about their enforcement. However, they said the agency is taking action against those \u201cacross the supply chain,\u201d including manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers.\u00a0<\/p>\n The FDA has issued import alerts on several Chinese tobacco companies, such as IMiracle Shenzen Technology,<\/a> which manufactures the popular vape brands ElfBar, EBCreate, and Lost Mary. An import alert allows the FDA\u2019s field staff to detain certain products without physically examining them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last December, the FDA announce<\/a>d the first seizure of IMiracle products, obtaining and destroying $18 million worth of flavored vapes. However, the company has repeatedly dodged customs by changing the name of its Elf Bar, importing products worth hundreds of millions of dollars.\u00a0<\/p>\n A different kind of illicit Chinese vape \u201cbar\u201d\u2014an Air Bar\u2014dominated the New York City study. 50% of the vapes found in Big Apple<\/a> trash cans were Air Bar products, including flavors such as \u201cpink lemonade\u201d and \u201cblue razz ice.\u201d<\/p>\n The director of compliance for Air Bar, Quentin Brunel, confirmed the company was based in China, but would not comment on the study.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nSubscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. Sign up<\/a> for free today.<\/div>\n